Life & death issue Those on both sides point to scripture to support their stances.

By Kristen Moulton The Salt Lake Tribune

In the hours before murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner is set to be shot to death by firing squad next week at the Draper prison, prominent religious leaders will gather for a prayer vigil and join others for a protest rally.

They will decry what they see as the state's unnecessary taking of life.

And yet those voices do not reflect the full range of opinion among people of faith.

Hank Skinner, who is on death row in Texas, had a simple request. Before the state took his life, he wanted to test DNA evidence from the crime scene that could prove he was wrongly convicted. Texas prosecutors, whose love for the death penalty is legendary, refused.

Skinner then sued, claiming that federal civil rights laws gave him a constitutional right to do the testing. A federal appeals court ruled against him.